This invention relates to an engine construction for a vehicle and more particularly to an improved, compact engine construction and lubricating arrangement therefor.
It is well known that the engine compartments of modern motor vehicles have become quite crowded with the complexity of the engine and the various components and auxiliaries driven by the engine. Also, in front engine locations, it is desirable to maintain a low hood line for streamlining and fuel economy purposes. In a popular arrangement, the engine is positioned within the engine compartment so that the axis of rotation of its output shaft extends transversely to the engine compartment. Frequently in such applications, the engine also drives wheels that have their axes of rotation extending across the engine compartment.
In order to provide a low overall height, it is desirable to employ a dry sump type lubrication system. Such systems employ a separate dry sump lubricant reservoir for containing the oil or lubricant for the engine. This permits the engine to be placed relatively low in the chassis since the crankcase of the engine need not also provide the lubricant reservoir. However, when a separate dry sump lubrication tank is employed, it has been the practice to place this tank in a concealed location within the engine compartment. This frequently necessitates the use of an oil radiator for cooling the lubricant. This further complicates the system.
It is, therefore, a principal object of this invention to provide an improved engine unit for a vehicle embodying a dry sump lubrication system wherein the dry sump lubricant reservoir is positioned so that it will be air cooled.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved arrangement for locating and positioning the dry sump lubrication reservoir for an engine so that it will be adequately cooled by the air flowing through the engine compartment.
In the prior art constructions and also the constructions shown in our aforenoted patents, the engine has its cylinders inclined to the vertical and the engine crankshaft drives an output shaft which in turn drives the axles of the vehicle through a transmission. In the construction as described therein, the output shaft rotates about an axis that lies on one side of a plane containing the cylinder bore axes and the axle axes lie on the other side of this plane. However, the angle between the cylinder axes and the axes of the crankshaft and output shaft is such that the output shaft is disposed forwardly of the engine to a rather substantial degree. This tends to make the engine drive assembly less compact than desirable and also tends to cause the lubricant sump, if a dry sump system is employed, to be positioned so far forwardly that it cannot have adequate height without interfering with the hood line.
It is, therefore, a still further object of this invention to provide a more compact engine transmission assembly for a vehicle.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an engine transmission assembly for a vehicle.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an engine transmission assembly for a vehicle wherein the arrangement is quite compact and the axis of the transmission shafts and driven axle shafts can be quite close to each other in a horizontal direction.